Broken Hearts Parade
by Scripturiens
Summary: Mimi and Yamato have broken up and she is taking the popular phrase "single and ready to mingle" just a little too much at heart. But then, we all deal with heartbreak in the best way we can; just ask Ishida Yamato. [AU]
1. The Break

**Author's Note:** I can't help starting new stories. I just can't help it. I guess this is a _crossover_ of sorts but I'm not labelling it as such because I'm just borrowing a few characters in order to write this story without making up OCs. Honestly, it's just _nicer_ to recognise friendly faces, isn't it?

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**Summary:** [AU] Walking away from someone you love isn't as hard as people make it out to be; what's truly hard is watching that person parade around their new and improved partners. Just ask Ishida Yamato.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon, Free!, Ouran High School Host Club, Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei, or Code Geass. They (and all their characters) belong to their creators and I am only borrowing them for the time being.

* * *

They had been going at it for _hours_, if the blond's words were to be taken at heart.

A young man with a mop of wild brown hair sat down on the bench, wiping the sweat off his brow on a towel a redheaded girl offered without looking at him. She, along with the younger boy were looking out in the distance, mouth curled downwards in distaste. His gaze fell on the couple and he grimaced. They were fighting, of that there was no doubt. He couldn't hear what they were saying but her face was distorted into an angry expression, cheeks flushed dark red. He, on the other hand, looked livid. Things were said; she stomped her foot down and the tall blond before her raised his arms harshly, as if giving up. Tossing her long honey tresses over her shoulder, Tachikawa Mimi stormed away from him and out of their sight.

He heard the collective sigh and crossed his arms as Ishida Yamato approached them slowly. He was massaging his temple and looked on the verge of imploding. Wordlessly, his younger brother offered him a water bottle. Yamato took it in silence and drank for a long time.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked after a moment.

"Yeah," he said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

Taichi, trying to be the good friend that he was, stood, clapping his back good-naturedly. "She'll get over it," he assured him, "just give her a day or two. You guys will be all over each other in no time."

Takeru snickered and even Sora had to smile. But Yamato only gave the tiniest of frowns before his face melted once again into a perfect mask of indifference.

"Not this time," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "we're over."

Neither of them had expected it. Taichi's jaw fell, Sora clapped her hands to her mouth and Takeru made a funny little strangled sound. Yamato looked at them all with a raised eyebrow.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" he asked them.

"What - what do you mean what's wrong with _us_?" Sora asked, "You - are you _okay_, Yamato?"

"I just said I was, Sora."

"What the hell happened, man?" Taichi asked.

"We broke up," he shrugged again. "It happens."

"What were you even fighting about?" Takeru asked, eyebrows still raised high.

Yamato sighed softly, tossing the water bottle up in the air and catching it in his right hand. Taichi noticed he was gripping it a little_ too hard_, but decided not to comment on it in case he decided to test his deathgrip on something fleshier.

"Just stuff," he bit the inside of his cheek, "it's not important."

He started walking away, draining his water bottle and then tossing it with uncanny accuracy into the nearest trashcan. Later, Taichi would _swear_ he saw smoke coming out of it.

"Yamato," Sora called out, but he cut her off.

"Just leave it, Sora."

Sora fell silent but they all exchanged dark looks behind his back. Taichi was surprised to hear the bite in his voice; the blonde was usually much more level-headed than that and it was strange, seeing him so affected by anything. Then again, it shouldn't surprise any of them that the source of his dismay was Mimi. She had this way of turning Yamato around completely that both terrified and impressed him - anyone who could wield such power over his friend was certainly a force to be reckoned.

"I'm going to see Mimi," Sora announced, turning on Taichi and Takeru as she heaved her bag over her shoulder, "let me know if he says anything else, okay?"

"Er ... sure, " Taichi agreed, taking his own bag and nodding towards Takeru so that they could catch up to Yamato, who was already just a nondescript dot in the distance.

They caught up with him in no time, falling into a silent step on either side of him. They had been friends for as long as he could remember and _they'd_ been a couple for almost as long. Well, not exactly. He remembered Yamato being a flustered mess around her during middle school and somehow finding it in himself to sort his shit out before they finished high school. Now, with almost three years into their relationship, he thought they were over the petty bickering but somehow, it just kept piling up.

"Yamato..."

"I swear to God, Taichi, I will break your nose if you finish that sentence."

"_Jesus_," Taichi exclaimed, letting out a low whistle. "I had forgotten how much of a fucking lunatic you really are."

Yamato sighed audibly, using what little restraint he had to stuff his hands deep inside his pockets instead of wringing Taichi's neck.

"I'm going for a walk," he turned towards them both, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Don't follow me."

"Hey!" Takeru complained, "You're supposed to make dinner tonight."

"Come on," Taichi intervened, holding his arm, "I'll take you to dinner."

The younger blond looked like he was about to complain but one look at his older brother silenced him. "Fine," he said, "but you're treating me."

-x-

It didn't take Sora too long to find Mimi but that wasn't particularly surprising, as she had imagined her friend would walk straight back to her car. What was truly surprising was that when she reached her, she was not crying. She was cursing as she searched for something inside her bag, and quite colourfully at that, but she looked no more miffed than she would have if she had left her chapstick at home.

"Mimi?"

_"What?"_ came the crude, harsh response. Mimi did a double-take, then relaxed. "Oh, Sora. I don't know what's gotten into me, so sorry about that."

"What happened, Mi?"

"I can't find my - freaking _keys_," she muttered exasperatedly. "Oh, no, wait. Don't tell me I left them with that - ah, no. Here you are, _you little piece of sh-_-" she stopped in her tracks, raising an eyebrow at Sora's expression. "I'm sorry you had to see that—,"

"No, it's alright Mimi, don't worry about us —,"

"I'm just running late to my hair appointment and well, you know how that upsets me."

"What are you talking about?"

"What are _you_ talking about?"

"I thought you were upset about Yamato," Sora said, unwilling to let her friend confuse her way out of the conversation. It always surprised her how Mimi could tongue-tie her way out of anything she didn't want to talk about. Mimi's face fell for a second and then she readjusted the straps of her purse on her shoulder.

"Why would I —,"

"Mimi, don't even try."

She gave in, reluctantly. "We broke up. He's an idiot. I'm fine. What else do you need to know?"

"Mimi, it can't be that simple—,"

"Yes it is, Sora," Mimi interrupted her, "we're over and that's that."

She walked around the car and opened it, climbing in without another word. Hesitating, she lowered the window and looked at Sora from behind a pair of large, dark sunglasses.

"Do you need me to take you somewhere?" she asked, more out of politeness than anything else and Sora knew it, which was why she shook her head and offered her a shaky smile.

"No, that's alright," she said, "take care of yourself, Mi."

"I'll call you later," Mimi called out, waving before driving away with just a little too much haste. Sora watched her until she disappeared, a hand touching her cheek as she wondered just what exactly had just happened. She knew it was her duty as a best friend to respect Mimi's wish to be left alone, but she had also learned (thanks to Mimi, no less) that it was her duty to know when she needed ignore her wishes. She dipped her hand into her side pocket, taking out her rectangular phone. Dialling the right number, she made the first call.

"Miyako? Yes, are you free tonight? Oh. Well, _be_ free. I need you and Hikari tonight, we're going to Mimi's, okay? No, no don't tell her. Er … yes, it's a surprise of sorts. I'll text you the details, yeah? Great, see you there."

When she arrived at the apartment, later that night, the lights were off. She let herself in with the spare key she had gotten after the second or third time Mimi had locked herself out in as many weeks, flipping all lights on. The Tachikawas had always been very well-off, as was evidenced by the home in which Mimi grew up, but her current apartment was considerably smaller. Not intending their daughter to live a miser's life, Keisuke and Satoe had taken care of her rental, insisting that she focused on her studies and only returned home to visit once in a while.

Being the doting parents that they were, her flat was much more spacious than a student her age should be able to afford, plus she had a car that all her friends were grateful for during the weekends. With a very spacious master bedroom and a spare one besides her study and living room, Mimi's place was perfect for their get-togethers and movie nights, so Sora knew her way about the place with her eyes closed.

"Mimi?" she called out.

_"Sora?"_ Her voice was muffled, softer as it came through the door.

"Yeah, it's me," Sora yelled. "Where are you?"

_"Taking a bath! Be right out!"_

She didn't come right out. It took her fifteen minutes to leave the bath and another fifteen to get dressed and dried, by which time Sora had finished sorting out her kitchen fridge and doing the dishes that she had found on the dishwasher. She was drying her hands when Mimi emerged, clad in comfortable sleepwear and running her thin fingers through freshly blown hair.

"I wasn't expecting you," she let out bluntly, making Sora work to hide her wince.

"I told you we'd come over, remember?"

"No, I really don't."

"Just before you left, Mi," Sora murmured quietly. "You know, for your hair appointment." She looked at Mimi's hair, arching an elegant eyebrow. The smaller girl, fearing to be caught in her own lie, only jumped slightly.

"Oh, yeah. That. Of course, how silly of me," she gestured towards her hair, laughing nervously, "I had a bit of a run-in with … juice. Someone spilled juice on me. Imagine! What a waste of an afternoon, eh?"

"Tragic," Sora commented dryly as the doorbell rang. "Will you get that? It's probably Miyako or Hikari."

"Mimi!" a lavender-haired girl greeted her friend, leaning in for a hug that made Mimi more uncomfortable than Sora's unexpected presence.

"Er … is something going on?" she asked.

"I guess she's very excited to see you," said Hikari, pushing her short brown hair behind her ear. "You look good, Mimi."

"Thanks," Mimi replied with a soft smile, "a shower will do that to you."

Inside, Sora and Miyako made quick work of bowls of ice-cream and of finding a film to watch on Mimi's television set. All the while, Sora kept looking over her shoulder for signs of Mimi breaking into tears, but she was stretching like a cat, curling on a couch with a bowl of Chocolate Therapy ice cream nestled between her hands.

"So what's this really about?" she finally asked, scooping more ice cream than should be possible inside her mouth. Watching her struggle with eating that, Sora made a face while Miyako bit her nails, anxiously.

Hikari, more sensible and less inclined to yell at the brunette, spoke up. "We just wanted to make sure you're okay, Mimi."

"I'm _fhi-ine_," she mouthed, "Fhu- it's _fhucking cold_."

"Maybe if you swallow first…"

It wasn't a good idea. Mimi slapped a hand to her forehead, trying to remember what she had read about stopping a brain freeze. What was it – pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth or – or biting down her tongue or – _something_. She bit down on her tongue and yelped, pouting as her eyes began to water.

"Yes!" Sora looked finally appeased. "You see Mimi? All you needed was to cry a little, we can talk about it."

Holding her tongue between two fingers, Mimi looked at her with watery eyes. "I only bit mah tongue," she managed, "don't get any funny ideas."

"I just want to know why you're being so difficult," Sora said, exasperatedly scooping ice cream into her mouth.

"Because I don't want to talk about it, Sora!" Mimi finally exclaimed, slamming her bowl on the coffee table.

"Mimi…" Miyako began, but she silenced her with a look.

"It was nothing, okay? We had an argument. We said things – things we can't take back. And sure, that was a bit sad, I guess, but don't you expect me to burst into tears anytime soon," she said, and here she did angrily wipe unshed tears from her eyes. "If Yamato doesn't care about having me in his life, then I certainly don't, either."

"Mimi," Sora said quietly, "I'm sure that's not true—,"

"It _is_, Sora," Mimi said, and her voice was much calmer. "I've made my peace with it and so should you," she paused, "all of you."

-x-

"Yamato."

No answer.

_"Yamato."_

Again, no answer.

"You and I both know I can do this all day, and I don't think your neighbours are going to be all that chuffed, you know."

"Taichi, maybe we should go – he clearly doesn't want company," another voice joined in, trying to be reasonable.

"No, Koushiro. Takeru said he's been moping around ever since—," the door opened, revealing a very disgruntled Yamato staring down at both of them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled.

"Helping," Taichi said, sidestepping him easily and hugging his bags to his chest. A more timid and more easily intimidated Koushiro entered behind him, avoiding Yamato's gaze at all costs. The blond scowled, closing the door and following them into his own living room, where Taichi was already laying out a trio of cold beer.

He raised an eyebrow, and Taichi scowled at him.

"It's supposed to be therapeutic," he explained, as if annoyed his friend did not get the obvious purpose of alcoholic beverages.

Yamato took one and deftly uncapped it, bringing it to his lips as he fell on the couch, hard. He stretched his legs over the coffee table and looked up at his brunette friend.

"Nothing about you can be therapeutic," he finally said. "You _are_ aware of that, right?"

Taichi chose to ignore him, passing a beer to Koushiro and taking one for himself. He settled on the couch directly across from his blond friend, looking at him levelly, without blinking. Koushiro, who was sitting in the middle, nervously glanced from one to the other, unsure of why his presence was even required for what seemed to be nothing but a staring contest.

"So … how did your day go?" Koushiro said in a weak attempt to lift some of the tension.

"You're in denial," Taichi said.

"I am not," Yamato replied, taking a sip of beer without even making a face.

"You just did it again!"

"Actually, he was just denying your statement, Taichi. It really doesn't mean anything much," Koushiro said with a shrug. Yamato tipped his beer towards him before raising it to his lips but Taichi only fixed him with a murderous stare.

"Remind me again why I brought you."

"I've been wondering the same thing," the redhead quipped irritably, busying himself with his own beverage and sinking deep into his seat.

Yamato crossed his arms over his chest, half-amused, half-irritated as he looked at Taichi, who kept wanting to stare him down as if that had ever worked on him. Calmly, he took another long drink.

"I wish you were more forthcoming with this," he finally admitted, mimicking his action and bringing the bottle to his lips. Yamato's smirk softened into a small smile, and finally into nothing at all.

"I don't have anything to say," he admitted quietly.

"It's been two weeks," Taichi reminded him softly, "and you still haven't said a word about it. Sora's getting upset."

At the mention of his former crush and current best friend, Yamato's face faltered for a second. He recovered quickly enough after finishing off his beer, taking the next one without leaving a moment to breathe.

"Because there's nothing to say, Taichi. We had some differences and decided to break up. It's not that rare, look it up."

"You're citing irreconcilable differences as your cause for separation?" Koushiro raised an eyebrow.

Yamato sighed, grimacing. "I'm saying it's over, it doesn't matter why."

"Yeah, Mimi's being just as unhelpful," Taichi complained, nodding his head towards Koushiro, whose ears had suddenly gone pink. "Isn't that so?"

The redhead tried to avoid his friend's eyes, he really did, but only ended up finishing gulp after gulp of his now slightly lukewarm beer. He made a face, wiping his mouth against the back of his hand. Fidgeting with a new bottle, he sighed.

"She claims she has nothing left to say about – about you."

If it bothered him, Yamato did a remarkable job of hiding it. He let his shoulder rise and fall carelessly, pursed his lips around the opening of his bottle and took a quick but generous drink.

"I don't expect she would."

"Because…" Taichi goaded him on.

"_Because_," Yamato said in a voice that would brook no refusal. He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. "I don't expect you to understand, Taichi, but I hope you can respect my decision to stay out of it."

"Out of what?" his friend demanded loudly.

"Out of her life."


	2. The Sea of Japan's Sea Otter

**Author's Note:** This story makes me so nervous because I'm incorporating so many different characters and I can already imagine the mess it will be. Oh, well. Live and learn. Don't be shy to leave a review, even if it's criticism. It really helps hashing out stories and improving.

Thanks again for reading.

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She had never known what the proper mourning period for a three-year relationship was, but she was pretty sure two weeks wasn't it. She stared at the scene before her, an unfinished chocolate chip cookie on her right hand as she chewed contemplatively. Mimi was sitting at one of the picnic tables that were so precious in their campus (they were too few, and too sparsely set), surrounded by a group of their peers. She had always been a social butterfly and had too much going for her not to be. Tachikawa Mimi was beautiful, funny and clever. She dressed impeccably, spoke softly and was the best host she had ever met. People were drawn to her, like moths to flame. The problem was that most of these people were, coincidentally, _men_.

It hadn't been so much of a problem before The Break Up, an event so huge and widely documented that it deserved to be capitalized as a proper noun. Ishida Yamato was handsome, smart, cool in a way no-one else seemed to master and had been completely head-over-heels with Mimi – and his demeanour alone was enough to deter any other young men from trying to pursue his girlfriend in any romantic capacity. But since their recent fallout, it seemed to Sora that Mimi was even _more_ popular than before, rarely seen on her own these past few days. It was something they had _all_ noticed, but declined to mention around Yamato.

Sora watched the young man from a distance as he waved frantically at Mimi, who waved back with as much enthusiasm. His fiery red hair was a bit of a disordered mess but he had a very handsome tanned face and a smile that matched the brightness of his golden eyes. Her own rubies narrowed as she tried to place his face, unable to figure out who the young man was.

"Say," she began casually, giving her cookie another bite, "do you know who that guy is?"

The young man next to her lifted his gaze from his book, running a hand through short blue hair. "I'm afraid not," he said, adjusting his spectacles, "he looks young. You should ask Takeru, or Daisuke."

Sora made a soft, noncommittal sound but eyed him as he returned his attention to his book, studious as ever. "I thought you said you had some free time, Jyou," she murmured quietly, finishing off her cookie despite her loss of apetite.

He blushed slightly, dog-earing his book and closing it with a small thump. "You're right," he said. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do with myself, I'm not used to free periods."

"I can think of something," she began quietly, drawing closer to him to press a kiss to his lips. Before she could expound on it, however, she was interrupted by a loud, familiar and annoying voice.

_"Oi, I thought we said no PDA."_

"Hello, Taichi," Jyou greeted warmly, holding a hand out to the young man. Sora only scowled at him.

"Do you have to be so rude?" she asked.

"I hate when you visit," Taichi said, touching his forearm to Jyou's and ignoring her altogether. "You make Sora all doe-eyed and shit." He expertly avoided the jab she sent his way, sitting down next to her and dropping his bag on the floor beside him. Leaning back on the table, he sighed, "I'm so beat. This day is lasting _forever_."

"It's only your fourth period," Jyou said, "surely it can't be that bad."

"It's murderous, Kido. What are you doing here, anyway?" Taichi asked, "I mean, not that I _really_ mind. But I thought you had class all morning."

"I had a rare day off. Thought I'd visit," he admitted sheepishly, glancing at Sora out of the corner of his eye. Taichi made a gagging noise.

"Sheesh, spending a free morning at someone else's university," he grimaced. "How _disgusting_. Anyway," he glanced at his watch, "shit, I've got to go. Don't forget I'm playing tonight, 6:00PM!"

"We'll be there," Sora said, waving him off as he scrambled to his feet and made a run towards the opposite building. By now Mimi was already gone, and so was the redhead she had seen her with. Sighing, she picked up her bag and leaned in to kiss Jyou's cheek.

"Will you make it to the game?"

"I'll try," he said, getting to his feet. "If not all, I'll at least come watch the second half."

-x-

The game ended in a win for their team, which meant that he and Daisuke would demand celebratory drinks. Despite what people initially assumed of Taichi, he was a rather responsible athlete. His role as captain of the university football team came with many demands and he had risen to the challenge marvellously: he exercised every day, held practice almost religiously and took as much care as he could of his grades. He still had some trouble controlling what came in contact with his mouth (old habits die hard), but he had gotten loads better at cutting down on the junk food and the alcohol. So when there was cause for celebration … things tended to get a bit out of hand.

Sora, who was usually much stricter about these things, had reasons to let it pass that night. One, she didn't want to always be the wet blanket; two, Jyou had made the effort to come and she wanted him to have some fun; and three, she'd had a really long week. But the main reason (and the only one she'd deny fervently), was that Yamato was with them. Contrary to popular belief and completely baffling everyone present, Yamato arrived five minutes into the game. He claimed he had been close-by when he remembered it was happening, but Sora had caught Takeru texting earlier and thought he might've been responsible. In the two weeks that had gone on since The Break Up, Yamato and Mimi had not once been together in the same place. To her knowledge, they hadn't even spoken to each other since that afternoon. This put them in a tight spot, because it meant that they could only hang either with Yamato or with Mimi and neither wanted to become involved in what seemed to be a disaster in the making.

Separately, they both claimed to be okay but Sora thought she knew them better than they gave her credit for, and the atmosphere around them was so charged that she was always terrified something might happen. Grateful that Mimi had told her earlier that she had plans, Sora let herself go with the flow of the night without worrying about her friends.

They decided to go to a venue Takeru recommended, claiming he'd been there with his basketball friends a couple of times. The space was large and open and the tables were made to accommodate large parties; the food was great and since it was a Friday, it was both open bar and karaoke night. They all doubted he'd ever gone there for the singing, but he dismissed their claims with a careless hand as they arrived. They took the most recently vacated table and soon, the debauchery began. With Taichi's teammates and other friends that had invited themselves to the celebration, they were occupying a very decent percentage of the venue, covering four full adjoining tables. Food and drink was served generously, and Sora could feel herself relaxing as she saw Jyou sharing a joke with Yamato, who was laughing airily, his fingers clasping a pint of dark ale.

"Hey, isn't that—," Takeru began after a while, blue eyes narrowed in direction of the table on the other side, directly opposite them. "I don't fucking believe it, _it is!_"

Sora turned, fast. Takeru was scrambling to his feet, tapping Daisuke's shoulder.

"Dais," he said, "will you look who's there?" he pointed his finger and Sora followed it to the fiery red-haired lad she'd seen earlier and alarms went off in her head.

"Well, I'll be damned, _that fucking otter_." Slapping his hands on the table and stumbling to his feet, Daisuke grinned like an idiot as they waved, walking over to the other table.

"OI!" he yelled, "Mikoshiba!"

The redhead, hearing his name, looked for the source and his eyes lit up when he saw a grinning Takeru and Daisuke, scrambling to his feet so fast and almost running to meet them. He was taller than Sora had given him credit for, certainly taller than Daisuke and almost as tall as Takeru. He was also cuter, but she was not about to admit that to anyone but herself.

"Daichi!" he exclaimed happily, "And little Takaishi."

"I'm still taller than you," Takeru reminded him smugly, but the other boy merely shrugged.

"Details, Takaishi. Details," he shuffled his hands inside his pockets. "I haven't seen you two since the last game, are you still playing?"

"Keru is," Daisuke replied, "I'm in the football team."

"Ah, that's cool. Are you guys celebrating anything? Did you finally manage to score at _something_, Motomiya?"

"Oi, I'll have you know I'm a _fantastic_ football player!"

"Is he?"

"Meh, decent," Takeru replied with a shrug.

They kept the argument up for a few more minutes before a petite girl joined and interrupted them, skipping happily from behind him, intending to tell him off for what she by now considered utter negligence.

"Excuse me," she said, "Momo-kun, do you know if—," she stopped when she saw who he was with, eyes widening for a second before her mouth closed gracefully. Takeru had the sense to smile at her, but it took Daisuke a few more seconds to grasp what he was just seeing.

"Mimi-san!" Momotarou exclaimed, looping his arm casually around her shoulders as the cutest blush touched his tanned cheeks. "I'm sorry, I was about to return but I ran into some friends—,"

"No, it's fine, really," Mimi assured him, her cheeks tinted with pink. "Keru, Daichi," she greeted them warmly.

"You know them?" Momotarou asked, surprised.

"Of course we _know_ her," Daisuke answered, offended. "How do _you_ know her?"

"We're just—,"

"So who did you come with?" Mimi interrupted again, eyes shining in a strange way. "Are you here alone or …?"

"No, we're just … sitting right there."

Mimi's eyes followed his gaze towards the table across the room and she did a very good job of hiding her wince. Sora looked mortified while Jyou drank from his mug without stopping; despite this, his drink wasn't any lower than it had been when he began. And there, between Jyou and what looked like a happy and slightly inebriated Taichi, sat Yamato. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, in which he looked surprised and she cringed, thinking of Momotarou's arm still around her shoulders, his hand touching her arm lightly. But then he only smiled – a sardonic little smile that immediately flamed her temper.

"Come, Momo-kun," she said, shuffling from his embrace and taking his hand instead, making the blush on his cheeks burn brighter. "I want you to meet someone."

"Mimi—," Takeru began, following after them and downing the rest of his beer in one huge gulp.

"Hi," Mimi said cheerfully, standing before her friends. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Mimi!" Taichi cheered, "Guess what!"

"I heard," she replied, leaning in for a quick hug. "Congratulations, Taichi! I'm sure you killed in there."

Sora watched Mimi with caution, noticing how she hadn't let go of the young man's hand, fingers threading around his as soon as she let go of Taichi. She tried to watch Yamato, but he only observed calmly, sipping from a beer mug that was steadily running out.

"Oh, this is Mikoshiba Momotarou," she said after a moment. "Momo, this is everyone." They all replied in polite greetings, hand-shakes and nods. Taichi looked surprised but he recovered quickly enough, biting his tongue to avoid any involuntary fuck-ups as the young man went on about who he was and what he liked and grinned like a fool while Mimi rocked on the balls of her feet.

"Momo and I play basketball together," Takeru offered, sensing the tension rising. "Or well, he tries to, anyway."

"You wish, Takaishi," he laughed.

"Well, we're off," Mimi said, "it was great seeing you guys."

"It was nice meeting you," Momotarou added, bowing his head. But then his eyes lit up, his smile widening. "We're going to a party just a couple of blocks away, you know? You could come, if you want."

"Oh, I'm not sure that's—," Hikari began, but he shook his head vigorously.

"Any friend of Mimi is welcome!" he said, "_Please._" He turned to Mimi, his hand lingering on her shoulder. "I'm going to settle the bill, ok? Convince them!"

He scurried off, leaving her to be the centre of attention. For the first time, Mimi thought she hated it. At some point in the past few minutes Yamato had slipped away, unseen, and his absence was making her as nervous as his presence initially did. She forced a smile on her lips, excusing herself to go to the bathroom, where Sora followed almost instantly, without even waiting to try and cover it up.

"What the hell was that, Mi?" she asked, voice hushed down.

"I didn't know _you'd_ be here," she defended herself, "I _told you_ I had plans."

"A date?"

"Hardly," she would have snorted, if such indignities weren't below her. "I mean, it's a – a friendly thing. He's cute, isn't he?"

Despite herself, Sora blushed. "God, he really is – where did you even _meet_ this guy?"

Mimi couldn't help but squeal a little, her smile making her cheeks dimple. "Friend of a friend," she murmured absently. "He's got an older brother, you wouldn't _believe_ it – but he doesn't study in Tokyo, so there's that. Plus, Momo's _adorable_. I couldn't say no when he invited me today, he's funny and always makes me laugh and—,"

Sobering up as she watched the excitement in Mimi's face, Sora shook her head softly.

"That's great Mimi, but—don't you think it's too soon? I mean, it's barely been a couple of weeks since—and Yamato is just—," she stopped talking when a door behind Mimi opened, revealing the blond in question. He blinked quickly, not expecting to find them there but recovering just as well.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he muttered, gazing for a fleeting second at Mimi's tight-lipped scowl.

"You're not," Mimi assured him. "Sora and I were done talking." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, her smile more plastic than Sora had ever seen it before as she said, "You don't have to go to the party if you don't want. We'll understand if you already have plans."

At this point Yamato was already walking away, sitting at a table that became quiet as soon as his presence was noted. "So, about this party."

-x-

The music was loud and the lights had been turned off, leaving only neon and blacklights on, giving the place a rather spectral feel, in Mimi's opinion. It had begun as one of those small get-togethers between long-time friends but had quickly escalated into a fully-fledged party featuring mutual friends and acquaintances. Mimi estimated she knew at least half the people there, either because they had classes together at some point, or because they had some friends in common. She recognised a couple as Momotarou's teammates, whom she had met earlier in the week and others as boys that had, at some point, asked her out. Smiling at the group she was with, Mimi walked up to fetch herself a drink.

"I can bring it for you, Mimi-san!" Momotarou exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"No, it's okay Momo," she assured him gently, "I want to take a turn and stretch my legs, too."

He seemed disappointed not to be able to serve her, but she tried not to feel too guilty about it. He was a lovely young man, but his eagerness threw her off a little too much. She wasn't used to it, and didn't think she'd ever be.

Once in the kitchen, Mimi reached for the cooler, filled with ice and assorted bottles. Her fingers hesitated over one and then the other, but then someone offered her a bottle of hard apple cider and she took it, gratefully.

"Thank you—," she began, mouth pursed when she looked up.

Yamato was looking at her levelly, a sliver of blue under heavy-lidded eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Taichi wanted to come," he shrugged. "It's his big day. I wasn't going to deny him."

"Yes, well," she said, tipping her bottle at him, "thanks for the beer."

"He seems fun," Yamato commented lightly, making her stop. She looked over his shoulder at him, how he casually brought the bottle to his thin lips.

"He is," Mimi assured him.

"He can be a handful, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing at all," he said, smiling coolly. "Have fun, Mimi."

When she returned, she was positively seething. Her friends smiled up at her, scooting over so that she could join them on the couch. She was about to ask where Momotarou was when she saw him at a distance, surrounded by his peers as he engaged in what seemed to be some sort of wrestling match with a boy with silver hair and a very pink face. Mimi groaned, running her fingers through her fine tresses.

"Is he drunk?"

The girl on her right offered her a sympathetic smile. "Quite possibly, I think."

Yamato paused before the scene, turning to her with a raised eyebrow. Mimi sunk lower into the couch, hiding behind the pretext of drinking her beer, finishing it off in long, slow gulps. She set the empty bottle down, sighing audibly. _Handful, yeah_.

Now irritated and on her feet, Mimi skipped to the place where all the commotion was, peeking over a young man's shoulder to look at Momotarou. He was currently being held in a lockdown position by a boy she thought went by the name of Aii, and she thought he looked quite well on the way to being sick.

"Momo?" she called out sweetly.

"Mimi-san!" he choked out, "_Gerroff_—Mimi-san, hi!"

"Er…hi, Momo," she said, biting her bottom lip. "I'm going to … head out now. So, take care. I had fun!" she finished lamely, waving over the noise and averting his eyes from the look of disappointment on his pretty and young face. Steeling herself not to look back she bolted for the door, unaware and uncaring of the eyes that followed her until she disappeared.


	3. In Defiance of Logic

**Author's Note:** Sorry to take so long to update! I've been focusing on some other things for a while and was a bit stuck on this chapter. Thanks for reading and for your sweet reviews.

* * *

Against all odds, they did not see Mikoshiba Momotarou again after that weekend or the week after. Sora was tactful enough not to mention him, especially around Yamato, but Daisuke had never been exactly known for his tact.

"I don't see what the point is of seeing Momo-kun again if he's not hanging out with us. It's like Mimi is the only person he knows in this goddamned place."

Hikari sent him a chiding look, slapping his hand away from her selection of fruit. "That's none of your concern, you _know_."

"We're playing against them on Wednesday," Takeru said through a mouthful of fries. "You can see him then, I suppose."

"Yeah, but it's not the same," Daisuke whined. "It upsets me when my friends purposefully neglect me." He had been taking some courses in emotional intelligence and had been encouraged, by his professor and licensed therapist, to express his feelings through regular conversation instead of the occasional outbursts of sincerity he was known for. Daisuke thought it was working wonders for his temper, but Takeru found the whole thing amusing and frankly, a little ridiculous.

"You must be upset a lot," the young blond murmured and, upon seeing Daisuke's confused expression, and Hikari's warning eyes, "—here, have a cookie."

Daisuke accepted the treat without suspicion, taking one distracted bite as Mimi passed by in a rush, waving enthusiastically at them before she was obscured by the throngs of young men that followed her. She waved them all away, reaching her friends with lips pursed.

"I swear I can't get a moment to myself," she complained, falling next to Sora.

"Popularity getting to you?"

Mimi looked up, almost about to smile at a recently arrived Taichi when her eye caught a flash of gold and deep sea-blue eyes. "You know me, I'm not used to the attention," she said, though Taichi's chuckle revealed he did not see she was looking at Yamato.

The blond, stoic as usual, ignored her.

"Mimi," Daisuke called out, "have you seen Mikoshiba-kun lately? Well, of course you have. But can you give him a message?"

She started, a small twitch below her eye. "Which Miko—never mind, yeah, sure, whatever you need."

"Great, tell him he's a dick for—no, Mimi, _I'm serious_…" and he trailed off giving a detailed explanation of all the expletives Mimi was to pass on to the young Mikoshiba Momotarou.

Sora could have sworn she saw Yamato's pupils go dark but a second later he had already turned on his heel, muttering something about class. She declined to mention that it was lunchtime for everyone and quietly watched him leave.

-x-

Wednesday rolled by so easily that it was hard to place where Tuesday had gone. Takeru had made sure all of his friends knew that he had a ball game that afternoon, mostly because it gave him a chance to show off (something he would never pass on), but also because Sora made it a point that they should try to keep things as smooth as possible with _The Break Up _(now italicized) still dragging behind their friends. It had been a month now, but he didn't think either of them was handling it as well as they said they were. Jyou agreed with her, but had kindly rejected the opportunity to intervene. _It's their personal business,_ he insisted, despite his girlfriend's protests.

Despite his relatively harmless appearance, Takeru was a fierce basketball player. He was quick on his feet and had a sharp eye for plays, which made him a respectable opponent and most likely candidate to becoming the next captain. They sat on the bleachers, cheering on their school's team when they first got a chance to see how different Momotarou was on the court. While he was an amenable, cheerful fellow (a little too cheerful and a little too childish, perhaps), he was an absolute menace on the court. Takeru's team was having difficulty marking him and he alone was responsible for most of the points already scored – _between both teams_.

Taichi and Daisuke were yelling profanities while Yamato edged away from them, keeping his eyes glued on the game. On her other side, Miyako tugged on Hikari's sleeve, pointing out and cooing towards all the handsome, new men she was getting to see.

"Oh, God," she murmured, "look at that hunk on the bleachers. No, not _that_ one, though he's _cuuuute!_ No, I mean—_there_, on the other side. The one with the fiery red hair and that petite girl beside him and—_oh my God, is that Mimi?"_

It all happened too fast for Sora's eyes to follow. She turned, along with Jyou, Hikari and Yamato, to see who Miyako was talking about. Meanwhile the rest were jumping to their feet, raising their arms and groaning at a superb shot Mikoshiba had just made. Sora saw Mimi clap gently, sitting comfortably next to a rather huge young man with hair as bright as – as _Momotarou's_. The game ended with a loss, which made Takeru irritable and left the rest of them, disappointed as they were, to cheer him up.

Mimi was still on the opposite bleachers, clapping her hands together for Momotarou despite the fact that he had just turned her university's team to pulp. For this, Takeru felt deeply wounded, slumping his shoulders and groaning into Hikari's arms. Mimi saw this and gently touched her hand to the young man's arm, muttering something before making a hasty way towards them.

"Oh, Take-chan!" she exclaimed, pulling him in for a hug despite the fact that he was sweaty and a bit of a mess, "—you played wonderfully. I'm sorry you lost!"

The boy groaned (but only after nuzzling into her embrace). "You're being mean, Mi-chan," he said. "Your loyalties are compromised."

"I would _never,_" she exclaimed, holding an indignant hand to her heart. "But after … er, I just thought Momo-kun could use some cheering. I really didn't think they'd _win._"

"Mimi-kun!" a voice boomed, and something twitched in Mimi's face. She turned around to see this giant of a man, his smiling face and fiery red hair waving at her from a distance. Beside him, Momotarou and another boy stood, waiting.

"Mimi-san, hurry! We're celebrating!" he placed his hands around his mouth, "Better luck next time, Takaishi!"

"I told him to drop the _kun_…" Mimi mumbled under her breath, her cheeks acquiring a deep pink colour.

"I swear to God," Takeru grumbled, "he's _impossible._"

"Er, Mimi?" Taichi asked, one eyebrow raised. "Who's your friend?"

To their surprise, it was Yamato who answered.

"Mikoshiba Seijuurou," he said simply.

"Oh God, can you be less _weird?_" Mimi snapped. "Ugh."

He slid his eyes away and shuffled his hands inside his pockets, looking for the world as if she had not just snapped and stormed away from him and into a waiting Seijuurou's arms, who looked altogether too happy when she snatched his hand from the air and held it tightly in hers.

Upon the silent, accusing glances, Yamato shrugged, "I've seen him around."

"That's an understatement," Takeru breathed, but his brother silenced him with a look.

And then, Daisuke asked what everyone else had been too polite to mention.

"She left him for his _brother?"_

Yamato scowled. "How is that surprising?"

"How is it _not_?" Daisuke continued, obviously too indignant to bother to think who he was talking to. "That is the most v—," but couldn't continue, because Hikari's hand was on his mouth and she dragged him down the stairs, chastising him for being such an insensitive prick.

Sora touched Yamato's arm and he looked down at her (she had always hated how tall men did this to her) and only blinked. "I'm fine, Sora," he assured her. "Really."

"You can't be _that_ fine," she said, lips pursed. Yamato only shrugged.

"It was her choice," he said, gently prying himself from her hold and nodding towards Takeru. "Now let's take this dork somewhere before he starts crying."

_"Oi! I heard that."_

-x-

The problem, she knew, wasn't her date. He was a beauty to look at – God, his arms had to be two of the most fantastic things she had ever held in her hands, and his hair was so cool and he had a smile that could make a girl positively _melt_ in his presence. He was kind, and sweet and really funny, too; he had been making her laugh since the first time she met him all those weeks ago.

They had met briefly, once, in an intercollegiate volleyball tournament. Mimi had been there with some friends, since Yamato was out of town visiting with his grandmother and had merely happened to chance upon the Samezuka volleyball team. Trying to find her way out of the building, she had asked for his help and he had since become smitten with her, claiming she was "really cute". She'd run into him a few more isolated times and it had always been short, sweet and fun, but she always forgot all about it once Yamato was in front of her again. Too often, she forgot about everything else when he was around.

So the problem was that despite how sweet he was with her, Mimi could not shake off the feeling that she had been kicked in the stomach since she had seen her former boyfriend just a couple of days before. And it pissed her _off_.

"Mimi-kun," Seijuurou said, "I promised Momo I'd drive him to practice this afternoon, would you mind? We can do whatever your sweet heart desires right afterwards."

"You could just call me _chan_," she insisted for what felt like the millionth time. "I'm not a _boy_."

Seijuurou laughed, and his laughter was infectious so even she was half-smiling when he finally spoke. "That doesn't have anything to do with it, Mimi-kun," he said, drawing closer to her, "I'm _very_ aware that you're a girl."

Blushing a furious red to match his hair, Mimi hastily turned her face away and refused to meet his eye on the way to Momo's basketball practice. As it turned out, it wasn't really a formal practice. Some of his friends had gathered to shoot some hoops at a public court and play a couple of friendly matches in honour of their last game, which meant Mimi was in no way prepared to see Takeru's blond head appear in the distance.

"Niisan!" Momotarou complained, bag swinging perilously from his shoulder, "Stop hogging Mimi-san's attention!"

"Momo! You'll never impress Mimi-kun unless you show her your superb skills!" Seijuurou chided, placing an arm around his younger brother's neck while Mimi smiled hesitantly from a safe distance. "You need to show her what a true Mikoshiba can do!"

Momo, half caught in his brother's embrace and half frenzied by his words, shot his fist in the air, his eye shining with determination. "Ho! You will be impressed, Mimi-san, I promise!"

"I'm sure I will, Momo-kun," she giggled, waving a hand at him while Seijuurou barked some instructions to his friend and teammates. "Do you want a drink? Something to eat? Anything I can get you?" he asked, finally turning to him. Mimi hesitated just a second and he nodded at once. "I'll be back!"

Her eye twitching again, Mimi sighed, smoothing down her loose denim pants once she saw Hikari and Yamato sitting at a distance. She made her way towards them, not wanting to be rude to Hikari, but the girl sprinted off when she was only a few meters away and it was already too late to turn her back. Yamato watched her silently, one eyebrow raised as she warily approached him.

"Hi," she said shortly. He nodded.

"Hi."

"I wanted to say hi to Hikari," she added.

"I imagined as much."

"Will you tell her I stopped by?"

"You can tell her yourself, I think."

Mimi pursed her lips, but decided she really did not want to start another fight, so she took a seat on the bleacher below, her back turned to him.

"I'm surprised you came," he said in what he clearly thought was a conversational tone. "You don't even _like_ basketball."

"Neither do you," Mimi casually replied, ears pink.

"I had to drive Takeru," he said. "You know this."

"Well, I came with – _people_, as well."

"Ah, yes. Young Momo. How's that going?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Mimi turned her body towards him, eyebrows deeply furrowed. "If you have anything to say, Ishida, just say it. You've been dying to, clearly, since that party."

"He's Takeru's age, Mimi."

"So? You're older than me, and that never stopped _you_ from dating me."

He looked wounded for a second and he looked like he was about to swallow whatever he'd wanted to say, because Hikari had just arrived and her smile had fallen as soon as she had seen the look on Mimi's face, changing from a pale white to furious red.

"And I happen to think he's a delight," she said viciously and Yamato barely looked back at her.

"So is Seijuurou. And their sister, you'll definitely like her."

"What?"

"Yamato, I don't think—," Hikari began, but he was already too deep in.

"Momo gets cranky if he doesn't sleep well, and he likes collecting bugs. Stag beetles, if my memory doesn't fail me."

Mouth falling, Mimi jumped to her feet while Yamato took out his phone, painfully ignoring her. "I wasn't being _weird_, Mimi-chan; Seijuurou and I used to babysit him and Takeru."

"Oh, God."

"Oh no, Mimi, I—,"

"Let her leave, Hikari."

They watched her furiously stomp away and Hikari was biting on her nails, eyebrows tense on her forehead.

"What just happened?" she asked, but Yamato's eyes were fixed on Mimi's back and how the older Mikoshiba had approached her carrying drinks and snacks in his arms.

"I don't believe it," he muttered under his breath, "he's even fucking _sparkling._"

"Mimi-kun, did I upset you?" Seijuurou asked, concerned. Mimi felt sorry that she had ruined their afternoon and snuggled into his shoulder, sighing.

"Sei-kun?" she finally asked, her voice a squeak of her usual tone. "You wouldn't happen to know who that guy is, right?"

His eyes followed her finger and his lips broadened into a smile, eyes sparkling in that particular way he and his brother shared. Raising his other arm, he waved over at the blond, yelling: "Yamato-kun! Long time, no see!"

Mimi groaned, tugging at her cheeks while Mikoshiba Seijuurou ran to say hello to whom she now knew was a long-lost childhood friend. She sunk deep in her seat, wishing she could drown in her green tea beverage and wondered how one person could be so, so unlucky.


	4. The Shadow King

**Author's Note:** In between work and school and being sick, it was surprisingly hard to write this chapter. For more notes, please check at the end.

* * *

For some reason, the past two months Tachikawa Mimi's love life seemed to be the only thing people talked about. _They_ had heard it from Tomoe, who had heard it from Aiko, who _swore_ Kimiko had seen them herself, with her own two eyes. At any given time she would have been unwilling to believe it but given recent circumstances, Sora was rather inclined to think her classmates were onto something.

"You mean Haninozuka-kun?"

"No, it was _Morinozuka-kun._"

"Didn't she date them both?"

"I think so, yeah. Wow, lucky girl! Honey-senpai is so_ cuuuute!"_

The story went thus: after a few weeks of dating Mikoshiba Seijuurou, Tachikawa Mimi had been seen dumping him for undisclosed reasons. Despite this, the Samezuka captain seemed to have recuperated soon enough, as he was seen in pursuit of Wakahasi Michiko, only a couple of days later. As for the Princess herself, she had been courted by a few young men and was seen going out with one or two prospects, but word had it that a certain Ootori Kyoya had set his eyes on her lately. And, if word were to be believed, Ms. Tachikawa was doing nothing to avoid his advances.

It began simply enough, with her disappearing at odd hours and for odd lengths of time, only to be seen later at some important event, wearing some scandalously exquisite outfit and then being promptly returned to class. She was often seen climbing into or out of discrete town cars and being taken to and from school by mysterious chauffeurs Sora never actually_ saw_. The whole thing spelled shady, but Mimi assured her that she was well taken care of and that she was having a delightful time.

"So, when are we going to meet this guy?" she asked one day, during the rare treat that was having Mimi over for lunch at the girls' table.

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked, shoving a piece of tuna into her mouth. "You know Kyoya."

"No, I know _of_ Kyoya," Sora corrected her. "And that's only because Jyou's father is the chief of one of his family's hospitals."

"You mean he's got more than _one_ hospital?" Miyako gushed. "Wow Mimi, you really outdid yourself this time."

"I thought you were seeing … what's his name?" Hikari intervened, scratching her chin thoughtfully. She had taken to do this as a subtle way to let her friend know that maybe she was seeing too many people, but so far, it had gone completely over Mimi's head.

"Takashi," she supplied gloomily. "And I really did like him, too. But we're better off as friends, and there was that weird thing he had going on with his cousin," she rolled her eyes. "—if I never have to be in the middle of _that_ again, I'll be a happy girl."

"I rather liked Mitsukuni-kun," Miyako sighed. "He was positively adorable."

"He was cuter than me, Miya-chan," Mimi complained, not for the first time.

"Oh yeah! Didn't Yamato say that—?"

Snapping her chopsticks, Mimi gave her a _look_. "I don't care what Ishida Yamato has to say," she muttered darkly, then buried her face in her hands. "God, how come he's _always_ finding a way into my _life_?"

"Well, you did date for a long time—,"

"And he _does_ know you best—,"

As expected, Mimi sunk lower in her chair, pushing her food around with her chopsticks. "You know, I could be having lunch with Kyoya instead of you," she mumbled darkly.

"Yeah?" Sora asked, cocking one eyebrow. "And why aren't you?"

Mimi gave her best friend her best withering look which, under current circumstances, was more pathetic than intimidating.

"He's busy with something else," she snapped. "My life doesn't revolve around him, you know!"

-x-

His eyes moved languidly across the pages as he took in the information before him, one finger lightly touching the page, his other hand supporting his chin and forehead. He had been trying to study for the past half an hour now, the keyword being _trying_.

"I don't know how you do it," a voice suddenly said and he found himself severely tempted to look up. But he didn't, choosing a noncommittal answer by shrugging slightly.

"You just read one word and then the next," he said dryly. "It really isn't that hard."

"Ha, ha," Taichi raised an eyebrow. "You're funny now. Great."

Yamato shrugged again. "I try."

"I meant, I don't know how you deal with seeing your girlfriend—,"

"—ex-girlfriend," Yamato corrected him.

"G_irlfriend_," Taichi insisted, "—going out with someone else."

Yamato, whose patience with that whole mess was slowly but surely eroding, let out a loud sigh.

"I don't see much of it," he explained unnecessarily. "She's free to do whatever—,"

"—or whomever," his friend quipped, earning one of Yamato's worst glares.

"_Whatever_ she pleases to do."

It was at this point that Koushiro found his way towards them, running a hand through thick red hair as he sat down.

"I'm exhausted," he announced, to which Taichi ran his arm around him, pulling him into half a hug.

"Long day?"

"Try _week_," he said. "I think that was the longest exam I've ever taken in my life."

"Ah, well. I'm sure you'll ace it," Taichi said.

"Thanks," he sighed. "What're you two up to?"

"Just discussing Yamato's feelings on Mimi's latest acquisition."

"Why would you have any feelings about Mimi's purchases?" Koushiro asked, raising a critical eyebrow at the blond.

"I meant _boyfriend_," Taichi said, rolling his eyes. "Well, boytoy, really."

"Oh."

He shuffled awkwardly in his seat, then took out his phone and started swiping. He had a habit of tuning out of the conversation whenever Mimi became the subject at hand. Partly because he really was respectful of other people's privacy, unlike Taichi; and partly because being Mimi's close friend often put him in a very uncomfortable situation when it came to her and Yamato. But then, in a completely uncharacteristic turn of events, added, "I'm not sure I like him much."

"Neither do I. Have you seen him? He _never_ smiles," Taichi shuddered. "He could give you a run for your money, Yamato."

"Ah, you must mean Morinozuka-san," Koushiro said after a while, eyes still on his phone. "She's not seeing him anymore."

"She's not?" Taichi demanded loudly. "Who's she seeing, then?"

It was at this point that Yamato peeked one startlingly blue eye at him, curious.

"Ootori Kyoya," he answered briefly.

He didn't say anything, but his nostrils flared and he changed the page with a little too much force.

"I thought you said you didn't mind?" Taichi said, amused.

"I don't," the blond practically hissed. There was a pause, in which he regained his composure, running deft fingers through fine golden hair. "It's fine. He's practically a household name, that should make her happy."

Taichi was about to comment, but Koushiro discretely shook his head and, for once, his brunet friend listened.

"Yamato…" Koushiro began, but Yamato cut him off before he could continue.

"I'll see you later," he said, taking out his phone and bringing it to his ear as he walked away from him. It rang three times before the call went through and when it did, his message was short, clear and clipped.

"We're in," he said shortly. A pause. "You can email Akira for details. Yes … we'll see you there."

-x-

As the fancy town car drew to a close, several heads turned simultaneously, as if they expected something or someone interesting to climb out. The spectators were not as disappointed as they might have been, as a nondescript young man with dark black hair and rimless crystal glasses came out, holding a phone to his ear.

"… that's great news, we'll keep in touch," he said, his long legs taking him easily towards the entrance of the Liberal Arts building, where a certain brunette and violet-haired girl were walking. The brunette stopped, her face alighting with a smile as she recognised him, touching Miyako's arm lightly before hurrying to meet him.

"Kyoya-kun!" Mimi smiled. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Mimi-san," he said, bowing lightly. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Yes," she said, chided by his formal tone, as always. "Did we – had we planned anything? I'm afraid I must've forgotten or —,"

"No, not at all," he assured her. "I'm here out of schedule, I'm afraid," he looked remorseful for a moment, as though ashamed to be imposing. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by like this."

"No," she corrected quickly – _too quickly_, maybe. "I mean, it's fine, you can … visit."

At this point her friend joined them and Mimi took the opportunity to draw attention from herself (a near-impossible feat, one would assume) and introduce the cool-faced Kyoya to a starry-eyed Miyako.

"It's my pleasure," he said, and Mimi swore Miyako was half-dead by then. But his attention shifted back to Mimi and he offered her a swift smile. "I only came to bring this for you—," he reached into his breast-pocket and took out an envelope marked with the Ootori coat of arms. "—and for your friends." His cool, kind smile lingered on Miyako for a split second.

Mimi took the envelope, fingers brushing against him for a moment. He was still smiling politely and she couldn't help but blush again.

"I – er, thanks," she said, unsure what it was to begin with.

"You can RSVP later," he said, then checked his watch. "I must really go now, but I'll call you for dinner confirmation."

"That sounds great," Mimi nodded. "Thanks for dropping by, Kyoya-kun. It was nice seeing you."

He smiled, waving over his shoulder.

"Until tonight."

They watched the town car disappear soon and when it was gone, Miyako actually _punched_ Mimi on the arm.

"OI!" she complained, rubbing the offended limb. "What was that for?"

"You did _not_ prepare me for that," Miyako sentenced, storming away from her in direction to the café where they were supposed to meet their friends ten minutes ago.

"You should've seen him Sora, you would've _died!"_ she gushed for what felt like the millionth time. She had taken to talking most highly of Kyoya while sending Mimi resentful glances every now and then, mostly because it upset her that Mimi had not mentioned how devastatingly handsome the young man was.

"He sounds … to die for," Sora mused, a smile touching on the corners of her lips while Mimi rolled her eyes. "What did he want, anyway?"

"To see Mimi, of course!" Miyako said with a cheeky grin. The brunette blushed, but only slid the envelope over to Sora.

"Take a look inside."

Puzzled, Sora opened the envelope, her fingers wrapping around rich, embroidered stationery. Her eyes went round, eyebrows shooting right up.

_"You're joking?!"_

-x-

"You're not being serious," a very excited Takaishi Takeru was saying, palms firmly placed on the table before him. On the other side and surveying him with some degree of wariness was Yagami Hikari, nodding slowly.

"I thought it was a joke too," she told him. "But Jyou checked and they're legal."

The blond fingered one of the fancy little tickets, eyes round and glossy.

"They haven't even opened yet," he said, flopping down on the chair.

"I know," his friend said with a small smile. "It's the official grand opening. Mimi said only the most important people in Japan were invited—,"

"—I hope you're including us in that list," a new voice said, and both teens turned to look into the face of one Yagami Taichi, Hikari's loud older brother, and Izumi Koushiro. "What's this?" he asked, picking one ticket off his sister's hand and bringing it up to his face.

Hikari could see the exact moment when it all clicked into place inside Taichi's mind. The brunet practically shoved the thing up Koushiro's face, who looked alarm at his reaction and gingerly picked it between two pale fingers. His own eyebrows shot up, surprised.

"Well, that's certainly something," he muttered. "Hikari?"

"Isn't it exciting?" Takeru asked.

"You would think so!" Taichi squawked indignantly. _"Traitor."_

Takeru rolled his eyes. "You're being unreasonable, Taichi."

"Tell that to your brother," he bit out. That promptly wiped Takeru's smug little smirk off.

"Low blow, Yagami."

"There's one for each of us," the petite girl said with a smile, ignoring, as usual, her brother's squabbles around her. "Mimi said we better go and she _specifically_ asked to remind you and Daisuke how important it is that we don't embarrass her."

Now Taichi was indignant for an entirely different reason. "What do you mean _me and Daisuke?"_

"She means you two enjoy pushing her buttons and she'd like you to refrain from doing so during this event," Koushiro answered simply, taking a seat at the table. "I do think she wants to impress Ootori-san."

"He must be wanting to impress her too," Takeru muttered absently, his eyes still fixed on the envelope that contained the rest of their tickets. "You don't do that kind of thing for just anyone, do you?"

The implication lingered in the air, but nobody dared voice it out loud.

"Do you think we should tell Yamato?" Taichi asked, but stopped talking once the blond in question opened the door and slammed it close without sparing them a glance, storming into his bedroom. They exchanged a shaky little smile, then a collective sigh. "—perhaps not today."

They did not tell him the next day, either, or the next. It was Thursday when Taichi finally had a mind to tell Yamato about the tickets and the silent invitation in the solitary ticket that remained in the envelope. Yamato was going over some notes, hunched over his desk with a book open in front of him. He did not look up when Taichi came into his bedroom.

"Say, Yamato," he began, walking towards his bed. "You busy?"

"What could possible make you think that?" Yamato asked dryly. "My closed door or my undivided attention?"

Taichi chuckled. "You're a real jerk, you know that?"

For some reason, that made the blond pause, stealing a glance at Taichi, who was by now thrown casually on his bed, phone in hand. He looked properly chastised, though Taichi was far too engrossed in some stupid game to notice.

"Sorry," he said gruffly. "I've got a lot on my plate, that's all."

"You apologised?" Taichi laughed. "And they said the day would never come!"

Yamato raised a cold eyebrow, looking at him warily. "I am not completely indolent, you know."

"Never said you were," Taichi replied easily. "You can be a little prideful sometimes, that's all."

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then slowly got back to his work. Taichi's presence was more irritating than usual, and he was wondering if it had anything to do with Taichi at all.

"Anyway," Taichi spoke again, and Yamato looked up warily. "I was just wondering if you were free this weekend. Because we were thinking—,"

"I'm busy," Yamato cut him off before he could finish. "I can't do anything with you this weekend."

Taichi, both surprised and terribly relieved, looked over at the blond, who seemed suddenly uncomfortable under his stare. "What are you doing?" he asked, trying and failing to sound casual and not at all interested. "Do you have a date?"

Yamato sighed, looking right through him. "If you must _know_," he drawled out lazily, "—we've got a gig."

"Oh! Where? Maybe we can check you guys out if it's early."

"It's a private event," Yamato answered after giving it some thought. "Something rather exclusive. I think it could be big for us," he finished, and chastised himself for the slight venom that trailed his words. He blinked, shaking those thoughts away. "Anyway, thanks for thinking of me," he said, in what was both his own way of being considerate and also a clear dismissal.

Taichi got the hint.

"Alright then," he said with a yawn. "Tell me all about it when I come back."

"Come back?" Yamato asked, whirling around on his chair. "Where from?"

Taichi paused, then grinned. "Roadtrip," he answered vaguely. "We're all going."

It seemed to him that Yamato sighed, then smiled, stretching out like a cat and tapping the end of his pen to his chin. "That sounds fun," he commented lightly. "Take lots of pictures and tell Takeru not to be a little shit, will you?"

"I'll try," Taichi laughed. "But does he ever listen?"

-x-

As Saturday came, Taichi and the others were bustling with contained excitement.

"I could hardly sleep," Daisuke gushed. "I mean, how could I? Mimi is a _saint_."

"I thought you didn't approve of her going out with this guy," Takeru said with a smirk, causing the maroon-haired teen to scowl in order to hide his blush.

"I had a change of heart," he declared solemnly. "I figured if his own brother doesn't give a shit, why should I?"

Takeru's eyes narrowed and Hikari swiftly came in between them, looping her arms through theirs. "Now now," she said. "Remember what Mimi asked of us?"

She was met with silence. Hikari frowned, then pinched their sides simultaneously.

_"Ouch!"_

"What the _hell_, Hikari!"

"I said …?"

"We're adults Hikari, you can't—," but apparently, she _could_, because she was pinching them harder this time.

"We'll be on our best behavior!" they said at the same time, scowling and shooting daggers at her.

Hikari only smiled benignly and sighed. "This is going to be so much fun!"

They had converged at the Tachikawa residence, though they had yet to see Mimi. When she came down minutes later, wearing a navy blue dress with a repeating white anchor motif and white boat shoes, she was met with expectant, excited faces. She had her phone glued to her ear and smiled at them, holding one finger out.

"Yes, I'm listening. I understand, Tachibana-san, but surely _you_ understand my predicament," she paused, nodding absently. "Yes, I _know_ that. But I wasn't informed — no, Kyoya-kun said nothing of the sort, I assure you!" She flipped her hair back, then sighed. "Are you sure that's … oh well, if he insists then, yes, sure. Oh! Right outside? You're very efficient, aren't you? Yes, no, that was a _compliment_, Tachibana-san!" she giggled, "—you're so sweet. Okay, we'll be right out."

She hung up her phone, then clapped her hands together as she turned excitedly towards her friends. "Slight change of plans," she announced. "We're not taking the train."

They had all been understandably confused upon Mimi's announcement, but that was nothing in comparison to the confusion that swept over them when they realised that, right outside on the street was a luxury travel bus that had been hired just for them. The thing was huge – bigger than some apartments, and everything, down to the slightest detail, looked very, very expensive. Mimi bowed in front of a couple of men dressed in what appeared to be dark police garb, and a middle-aged man in a dark suit.

"Tachikawa-sama," he greeted her, making her flush a dark pink.

"That won't be necessary," they heard her mutter, pulling down the sides of her huge sunhat. He smiled briefly.

"Are these all your guests, Tachikawa-san?"

"Yes," she said shyly. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Master Kyoya wants to make sure you all get there safe and sound," he explained expertly. "This is part of the Ootori Group hospitality and guarantee of safety. It is no trouble, I assure you."

She nodded and other pleasantries were exchanged before they were ushered by staff they had not seen, who took their bags and personal items, inside. The inside was, if possible, more lush. Mimi's face lit up as soon as she walked in, being led to the comfortable, expansive seats and shown to the rest of the areas, which included top-of-the-line restrooms, a small dining area and entertainment in the form of films, music and every possible form of visual media available at that moment.

The ride went smoothly, and Mimi laughed with her friends and tried not to gape too much at the excessive care with which she was being treated. Both Taichi and Daisuke, delighted at the idea of personalised food service, were doing their best to be proper and educated young men, which wasn't much, but it sufficed to keep her content. Tachibana-san, which they know knew was a member of Ootori Kyoya's personal bodyguards, was in charge of them for the entire trip, and informed them that it would last four hours only and that they'd make it just in time for the inauguration ceremony.

"You know," Sora muttered after two hours, nudging Jyou, who was very interested in their selection of documentaries, "I think we're being followed." She had been eyeing two cars that seemed to be tailing the bus nonstop, and it was beginning to make her nervous.

Jyou blinked, looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "That's the Ootori's private police," he explained simply. "In any case, they're guarding us, so don't worry."

Surprised (and a little embarrassed at her own ignorance), Sora leaned back on her chair, her hand lingering in Jyou's. "You think Mimi likes him?" she asked, unable to keep it inside anymore.

Jyou, always the more sensible man, pushed his glasses up his face. "I think he's making it very hard for her not to like him."

"Mimi doesn't care about any of this," she was quick to defend her friend. Jyou's eyebrows shot up and he licked his lips, almost as if he were taking great care not to offend his girlfriend or her best friend.

"I'm not saying she _only_ cares about this," he explained. "But I'm sure even you, Sora, would have a hard time turning it down."

"You're horrible. Would you?"

_Would you trade up?_

"For a chance to travel in style every day of my life?" he asked, letting out a low whistle. "I think I might —,"

Her fingers tried to slip out his, but he held on tightly, chuckling through her indignant glare. "—have to turn it down. You never wait, do you?"

And Sora, now more embarrassed than ever, buried her face into a pillow, wishing her blush away and decidedly avoiding his eye for the rest of the ride.

It was early still when they arrived. Mimi lowered her big sunglasses, looking up at the entrance with a mixture of wonder and excitement. The hotel was grandiose, and around her, all manners of important people were climbing out of fancy town cars and limousines.

They were greeted by very kind staff, who provided them with keycards and a guide who would take them to adjacent suites reserved for honoured guests, assuring them their bags would be waiting for them. They did not disappoint. The suites were large, lavish and extremely beautiful, making Mimi almost go weak at the knees as she thought about what the penthouses (reserved for more esteemed guests), must look like.

"Sora," she mumbled. "I think I might be in love."

Tachibana-san, who was just handing her a closed envelope for her benefit, smiled wryly. "The young master will be pleased to hear," he said, and bowed out of the room without giving her a chance to steady her sudden nerves.

"What's in the envelope?" Sora asked while Miyako, holding her hands to her heart, gushed, "—a love letter? How romantic!"

"I do wish he stopped," Mimi muttered absently. "Really, with all this technology available to him…" she was interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone and blushed again when she saw the caller's ID. "Kyoya-kun."

_"Mimi-san. I trust you arrived well and have been accommodated?"_

"Yes! Thank you so much," she said, curling a lock of hair around her finger and blushing hard under her friends' snickers. "I thought you'd be around by now…"

_"I'm afraid I'm dealing with some business right now, setting up for tonight. Did you receive my letter?"_

"Yes," she said. "I haven't opened it yet though, Tachibana-san just left."

_"There are some instructions for you and a guide of what and where your keycard can get you during your stay in these facilities, as well as information and an itinerary of tonight's events."_ He paused. _"I will be looking forward to seeing you and your friends at dinner."_

"Thank you," she repeated. "I'll get to that and call you after I'm done?"

_"Don't worry about it. You're an honoured guest, as well as your friends. I'll message you if any plans change. Otherwise, stick to the itinerary, yes? Have a lovely time, Mimi-san, and welcome to Tropical Aqua Garden."_

Minutes had passed after that phone call, and Mimi was still staring at the letter in her hands. Sora, equally shocked, was lying beside her on the bed Mimi had claimed, staring wide-eyed into it.

"He can't be serious," she said, then seemed to think better of it. "Can he?"

"He's been serious about everything else," Hikari said, holding her arms around her knees. "Why is it such a big deal, Mi?"

"It's too much," Mimi exclaimed, horrified. "Oh my God. And the guys, too!"

"They'll be thrilled," Miyako snorted.

"I'll text Jyou," Sora sighed. "Someone has to be ready when they come."

With a slightly trembling hand, Mimi dialed one of the numbers written in her letter and waited for the tone to click. When it did, she smiled. "Hey, this is Tachikawa Mimi—,"

"—say no more," the voice on the other side said. "We have been waiting for your call, Tachikawa-san!"

-x-

As she looked at her own reflection in a floor-length mirror, Mimi wondered if she was dreaming. Kyoya had sent specific instructions and details about the gala that signified the opening of his family's most recent business venue — a water park and therapeutic facility called Tropical Aqua Garden. The Ootori zaibatsu was diversifying, he claimed, and had designed and built this place as an alternative to traveling abroad for a vacation in the faraway and much envied tropics. Tonight's dinner was just a prelude, as the park officially opened for business the next day, with pre-sold tickets completely sold-out since months ago.

Because the event was such an important one though, protocol dictated that they were to attend the prestigious gala in rich, elegant evening wear, which Mimi had obviously not packed for. Anticipating this (what got past him, really!), Kyoya had been nice enough to send personal stylists for her and her friends, along with a wide selection of pieces from various exclusive designers. Mimi, gazing at herself in a floor-length gown of sinuous form and exquisite taste, could not fathom how she had gotten herself in this particularly lavish mess.

Sora, Hikari and Miyako had been likewise fitted, coiffed and perfumed, each drunk and heady in their own princess daydream and leaving her bewildered and enchanted in the fitting room. Her hair had been pulled up, curled and knotted to the back of her head, exposing her neck, back, and shoulders. The fabric was gorgeous – a number in satin and lace that exposed her creamy white skin under a hint of gold or champagne, showing off the satiny quality of her undergarment. Mimi felt exposed, brilliant and absolutely terrified.

Her friends cooed and nodded their approval, grinning shyly and laughing like schoolgirls behind painted nails. Sora, who had managed to take it with more grace than their younger friends, looked fantastic in an emerald green gown, her tones earthy and grounded and absolutely flawless.

"You know," she told Mimi as the door opened and revealed a very dashing Ootori Kyoya in perfectly tailored dark suit and impeccable blue shirt, "—I take it back. You very well might be."

"Ladies," he said, adjusting an exquisite watch on his left wrist. "You are absolutely breathtaking. And Mimi—," he took her hand, taking a step back to look at her admiringly and nodded his approval. "You are a jewel."

By the time they met with their friends, Mimi was not the only flustered mess. Because Jyou was already acquainted with the youngest of the Ootori family, they fell into an easy sort of conversation as they made their way to the event, dresses trailing behind them, heels clicking in an enchanting sort of way. Taichi had managed not to make a disaster out of his suit and Mimi had to actually hide a blush when he asked whether or not the princess approved. She refrained from hitting him; worried she might cause a scene and somehow encourage Daisuke of joining in. Instead, she dashed past him and placed a delicate hand on Kyoya's arm, smiling her most dazzling smile at him and Jyou as she joined a conversation she had no interest in.

"Mimi-chan!"

"Is that—?" Mimi froze, gripping Kyoya's arm.

"Ah, Mitsukuni," Kyoya greeted with a cool smile. "And Takashi, too."

"Kyoya-chan!" the young, sweet-looking child of a boy grinned cheekily. "You didn't tell us you knew Mimi-chan!"

"Tachikawa-san is an honoured guest tonight," he said, as Mimi blinked rather stupidly at the boys she had spent a couple of days seeing. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "I didn't think it was necessary to mention you at all."

"Kyoya-chan, so mean!" Honey said, pouting. "You wanted to keep Mimi-chan to yourself, isn't that so?"

"Honey," the boy chuckled, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Besides him, quite comically, loomed a dark young man with short, sober hair, looking at Mimi and nodding slightly. "You look very nice, Mimi-chan," he muttered in a low voice that Mimi had always found a little too stiff for her.

"You too, Takashi-kun," she finally said, recovering from her initial shock as she introduced her friends and allowed Kyoya to guide them to their adjoining tables. Meanwhile, Mimi was wondering what Takashi and Mitsukuni were doing there, and why Kyoya knew them, and why he didn't mention it at all. He should've! She felt strange, looking up to find Takashi entertaining one or two girls with Mitsukuni-kun, who looked more adorable than ever.

The ballroom and pool area was swarming in fairy lights, giving a surreal, tropical feel to the whole place. Mimi felt as though she were transported back to Maui, and she gasped and smiled and was once again perplexed by the attention she received from waiters in impeccable white outfits who held out flutes of champagne and sweets and other delightful things.

The rest of the group, obviously as enchanted as she was and far more free to roam the place, were sitting or standing here and there, mingling so well with this privileged crowd that Mimi felt bad for having expected Taichi and Daisuke to misbehave. She was about to tell him, too, holding on to his wrist as he shrugged casually, tipping his flute backwards.

"As if I would do such a thing," he scoffed. "Mimi?"

"Is that —?"

But her attention was no longer set on Taichi; it was on a tall, handsome blonde in a perfectly cut blood-red suit jacket and black pants, talking animatedly with a couple of young men. He had a hint of mischief in his eye and, most immediately, reminded her of _another_ handsome blond that her heart ached to miss.

And then, almost as if life itself was against her somehow, Kyoya reappeared, bearing a fresh flute for her and smiling in delight at the sight of the group. "Finally," he said, excusing himself from Taichi's presence as he dragged Mimi along.

"Tamaki," he said coolly. "I was half-expecting you to cancel."

"I wouldn't dream of it," the blond called Tamaki said, shifting eyes back to Mimi and making her feel warm under his tender gaze.

"May I have the pleasure of introducing you to Tachikawa Mimi?" he asked, while Tamaki held out his hand to hold hers, kissing her very lightly in the tips of her fingers.

"Mimi-san," he said. "May I call you Mimi?"

"Oh, well I—," Mimi began, far too flustered to think straight.

"This is the friend I was telling you about, Mimi-san," Kyoya supplied. "Suoh Tamaki."

"I hope dear Kyoya hasn't been awful to you," Tamaki added, still holding on to her fingers.

"Not at all!" Mimi said, recovering from her initial shock. "He's nothing if not lovely, Kyoya-kun."

"My dear!" he said, and his princely ways were not lost on Mimi, "How charming of you to think that of Kyoya-kun. You are certainly the jewel he told me you were." He looked up. "Soft gold is truly your colour," he said. "I think I've got an eye for these things."

"Yes," Kyoya muttered in his soft drawl, "Yuzuha-san might hunt for the likes of you."

Upon such flattery, Mimi nearly fell over, looking down coyly and smiling in a demure way that was almost unlike her. Then, her eyes opened wide and she gave Tamaki a suspicious look. "What do you mean, you've got an eye for these things?"

"The dress you're wearing was Tamaki's personal gift to you," Kyoya explained, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

"A token," Tamaki interrupted, "—of my regret at missing innumerable dinners and leaving you in Kyoya's capable but cold hands in my stead."

"You wound me, Suoh," Kyoya pretended to say. "But now that you're in _much_ _better_ hands, Mimi-san, I'm afraid I must take my leave and go back to the rest of the guests." Upon Mimi's impending protest, he smiled swiftly. "I assure you, I will not enjoy their company half like I enjoyed yours."

And just like that, he left. Mimi's mouth hung open after him, and when he turned to this famous Suoh Tamaki, there was a nerve twitching underneath her left eye. "You have some explaining to do," she said.

Perhaps sensing that something had gone inherently wrong, Tamaki offered her a wry smile and offered her a fresh drink. "Champagne, perhaps?"

"Oh yes," Mimi said, taking it with gratitude. "We'll be needing more of those."

* * *

**Additional Notes:** For some reason, this is not coming out as the comedy I intended it to be. I really have nothing to say for myself. This chapter is also rather long, another thing I did not foresee. If anything is not clear, don't hesitate in pointing it out to me, please! Things of notice:

\- Takeru the little shit, makes an appearance.

\- Hiitachin Yuzuha is the Hiitachin twins' designer mother in Ouran High School Host Club, and the designer of Mimi's dress. Which, if you really want to know what it looks like, is an exact replica of Kirsten Stewart's Zuhair Murad gown at the premiere of the last Twilight movie in LA.

\- Tachibana Seizaburo, Morinozuka Takashi, Haninozuka Mitsukuni, Ootori Kyoya and Suoh Tamaki are characters in OHSHC and I do not own them.


	5. The Princely Type: Part I

**Author's Note:** Do I suck? Probably. Does this chapter suck? _Probably_, but maybe not! Thank you for the continued support, you really are the driving force behind this story. Your cute messages make this a very rewarding experience, I promise.

* * *

And for the kind guest who asked about why I ship Mimato: the simple, short answer is _why not_? It's fanfiction, and not exploring wild cards is a waste of creativity and talent. The long answer is that I think their personalities complement and balance each other out perfectly. Yamato is shy, reserved, acts very grown up but really isn't; Mimi is vivacious, loud, super friendly and child-like (note: this is _not_ the same as saying she is childish), and I think they would both bring out the best out of each other.

I think Adventure and 02 gave us enough material to understand that these people are all important to each other, so why can't Mimi and Yamato be friends? And if they're friends, why can't they be lovers? If she hadn't moved to the US at such a crucial age, I am a firm believer that they would've naturally gravitated towards the other. I honestly get surprised when people say "but they never interacted!" yeah, _on screen_, but he was the Bearer of Friendship - you think he'd just _not_ be friends half the people on his group just because they never drew it? As for the validity of said ship, well, I think all ships are valid! You ship whatever your shipper heart desires, and I will happily go down with this one.

* * *

She appeared around midnight, flustered and very pink in the face. Sora meant to ask what had happened but one good look at the state she was in told her all she needed to know. The party was a success, more glamourous than any event any of them had attended in their lifetime, and she had little to complain about — even Daisuke and Taichi behaved, even keeping their tie on all night. They saw Mimi a few more times, always with the same blond and never without a drink in hand, which could explain, quite simply, why her cheeks were pink and ruddy. Half the time she looked absolutely confused and about to run away, the other half, she spent ogling at him and trying to hide nervous giggles behind seemingly endless flutes of champagne.

When, finally, Jyou and Sora retired to bed, she was nowhere to be found.

"Do you think we should look for her?" she asked, while her boyfriend loosened the knot in his necktie.

"No," he said quite simply. "She's probably just busy."

"It's after midnight! What could she possibly be busy with?" Sora squawked indignantly, but Jyou only flushed slightly, clearing his throat as the implications of his words dawned on his smaller girlfriend, the blush in her cheeks turning a deep crimson in embarrassment.

"I'm sure that's none of our business, Sora, you see…"

"Oh, God, _stop_," she begged him. "I don't want to think about it."

Ever the perfect gentleman, Jyou accompanied Sora to her suite, making sure she and the rest of the girls were settled in before he parted.

"You should stay," she murmured against his lips when he leaned down for a goodnight kiss, which ended in a smile from the young man.

"And I would," he admitted, sheepish. "But I'm pretty sure Daisuke was very serious about 'letting it all go' after midnight." He kissed her again though, a little deeper, prompted by her admission. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You're so lucky," a voice murmured after he disappeared, making Sora jump slightly, turning around as she let out an embarrassed squeak.

Mimi was thrown on a sofa, looking considerably less glamourous now that they were floors away from the party. Her elegant knot had loosened, with bits and curls falling out of tandem around her heart-shaped face. Her make-up was a little smudged and she looked almost as if she had done it on purpose, her cheek smashed against the sofa's arm as she gave her a long, lingering look. She rose, feeling as if she weighed half a ton and before Sora could say anything, she had disappeared into her room, closing her door with a resounding click.

She had half a mind to follow her but Jyou's words resonated in her mind.

_I'm sure that's none of our business._

Sleepy and too tired to worry, she slipped out of her heels and practically dragged herself to bed, thinking she'd ask about it in the morning.

She didn't ask her.

As it turned out, Mimi was ready by the time Sora woke up, face looking fresh, hair looking stylishly messy and lips looking particularly pink that morning.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" she called out, monumentally ignoring all laws of nature that said she should have woken up in a puddle of her own vomit, cursing all gods for the punishment of a night of reckless abandon and champagne. "I thought you were going to sleep forever!"

Sora, who had never been accused of being a morning person, groaned something unintelligible, grumbling somewhere, to someone, for coffee.

"I ordered breakfast for you," Mimi chirped happily, handing over a mug of freshly ground, premium-class Arabica beans. "It should be here in a minute or so."

"What do you mean, for _you_?" Sora repeated after the first gulps of that magical elixir ran their course down her throat and into her veins. "You're not having breakfast with us?"

"No can do," Mimi said with a smile. "I've got a breakfast date."

"Kyoya-kun is very thoughtful, isn't he?" Sora asked, slumping down to a seat.

"Not Kyoya-kun," she hesitated this time, as though unsure of what to say.

This seemed to wake Sora up.

"What? Mimi, then who—,"

"Suoh Tamaki," Mimi said, biting on her inner cheek thoughtfully. "It's a rather ridiculous story, if I say so myself, but he's really quite charming, and funny, and—,"

"—and looks remarkably like Yamato?"

Hikari's well-timed interjection was cut short by the arrival of breakfast, a development that Mimi welcomed if only to avoid answering her jibe at all. She stood, plastic smile fixed carefully on her lips and grabbed her biggest sunhat, waving it over her head.

"I'll see you at the pool," she announced. "Enjoy!"

Once in the elevator, Mimi took a deep breath to steady her nerves. The story, as Tamaki had told it, really _was_ ridiculous, but what was truly embarrassing about it was that she had missed every single sign.

As it turned out, Ootori Kyouya was Suoh Tamaki's best friend, and their families went back even before their eventual friendship. Tamaki's father was the head of the council of Ouran Academy, the prestigious school where they had met and one of Kyouya's father's oldest business partner and friend. Tamaki himself had lived in France half his life, and had taken an instant liking to the boy, despite his advances being entertained out of protocol rather than friendship.

Sometime during the past few weeks, when Mimi was hanging out a lot with the Mikoshiba brothers, she had caught Tamaki's eye while cheering for Momotaro in a street game of sorts. Tamaki had been taken by her smile and 'kind nature', which he somehow sensed through the distance, and insisted that they make her acquaintance. The problem with this was that, not long after he decided this, Tamaki's mother called for him back in France, and he had to leave the country for a few weeks. As a favour (and apparently Kyouya was used to Tamaki's eccentric favours), he had asked him to entertain Mimi in his absence, both to court her from a distance and, she suspected, to avoid anyone else from stepping in and robbing him off his chance.

Mimi was, understandably, scandalised by the whole thing. She had been livid, demanding to know why he thought she was some sort of item he could simply place a claim on and come get when it was ready, insisting that she was a human being, and a _sensitive_ one at that, and that she deserved better treatment from him and Kyouya. Oh, she had been _pissed_ at Kyouya. She had whisked him out of talking with a pair of redheaded boys who looked more like they belonged in a goddamn fashion magazine, and had given him a piece of her mind.

But Kyouya had accepted her complaints in good faith, apologised profusely for his behaviour and for not thinking of her feelings first. He had taken her hand and his eyes had glistened beautifully behind his spectacles as he kissed her fingers, begging for her forgiveness.

_Never,_ he had said, _in a million years did it occur to me that I may have been toying with your feelings. Please, excuse my reproachable behaviour and do not think less of me because of it. Though I must say, I would not blame you if you did._

If she thought about it, she still got goosebumps at the memory. Mimi, whatever princess complex she had, had never been on the other end of such a bashful apology, and certainly not from a boy who may have hurt her feelings. Yamato wasn't insensitive, but he had never been one to exacerbate his guilt, let alone _beg_ for her forgiveness. She had spluttered stupidly about not having to be forgiven, and _yes, Kyouya-kun, it's quite alright_, and just like that he had left her again, and she had been found by Tamaki. Now, it occurred to her that he may have just been faking it for his own privilege.

Still, Tamaki seemed to be genuinely concerned for her feelings and also, genuinely interested in her, so she had agreed to spend the rest of the night talking with him and meeting his friends (which, to her horror, Morinozuka and Haninozuka were also a part of), and even agreed to meet him for breakfast. Whatever Hikari said, Mimi insisted to herself, this had nothing to do with Ishida Yamato.

He was waiting for her at the terrace, the table exquisitely laden with food items the minute she walked in.

"Mimi," he said boldly, kissing her fingers (she blatantly ignored the backflips her stomach did at the sight of him).

"Good morning."

"I hope you're hungry," he said, and Mimi smiled as brightly as she could. It was still strange, but why couldn't she begin to enjoy that?

Tropical Aqua Garden was a gigantic touristic complex. What they had seen the night before had been nothing, they now realised, as the place opened up with its infinite possibilities to them. The key cards that Kyouya-kun had gotten them granted access to almost every part of the park: pools, spas, restaurants, gym and other therapeutic spaces. Despite their initial idea to spend the day together, it immediately became clear that they had different priorities when it came to enjoying their day.

They spent a good part of the morning visiting the different pools and swimming, playing along the artificial sand beaches. Mimi, along with her new friends, spent some time swimming too before deciding to go tanning, if only to get rid of Tamaki for a while. After hitting the tanning salon they decided to spend the rest of their afternoon at the spa, a treat that did not go to waste for the boys, who only left earlier to get a late lunch (their third in the day). At Mimi's insistence, Sora and Jyou went on to get a couple's massage and healing therapy while Miyako, Hikari and her got their hair and nails done while soaking in a cucumber and seaweed face mask and chocolate body immersion.

A happy buzz had settled in Mimi's head, consequence of several cocktails offered constantly by the hotel's service, which was everything Mimi had ever dreamed of and more. When they left, her skin felt so soft, her hair so silky, that she almost wept thinking of leaving that place the next day. She met Tamaki for drinks (Sora frowned upon this new development of hers), and then promised to meet him for that night's dinner and show.

The truth was, Tamaki was _really_ fun. He had a flair for dramatics, sure, but so did she, and he was gallant, chivalrous and well-versed in poetry, French music and piano. He delighted the whole wing of the restaurant when he sat in to play the grand piano, embarrassing her to no end upon dedicating a sonata to her and her beautiful heart. Mimi, with her cheeks burning brightly, could barely keep her eyes on him during the rest of the night.

The poolside was decorated again and there was a modest stage set up next to a DJ's booth that Tamaki insisted could be hers if she only said the word.

"Won't Kyoya-kun mind?" she teased, but he took her hands in his and declared, in his most princely way:

"There is _nothing_ Mimi-hime, that me or Kyoya-kun could deny you."

She did not joke about it again.

Miyako joined them shortly, long hair pulled up in a violet ponytail atop her head, grinning. "Look at you," she said, giving her a once over, "what a princess."

"She is, isn't she?" he asked, dreamily. "Mimi-hime, I'd like to talk to you if I may," he cleared his throat softly, "in private."

"Oh," Mimi squeaked. "The show's about to start, is it okay if we just—,"

"It's fine," he assured her. "Kyoya won't mind."

The young man in question was sitting with his legs crossed elegantly, one glass of wine on his hand as he watched from a privileged position towards the stage and all the instruments that were, as of yet, abandoned. Mimi gave Miyako a wave and left with Tamaki, wondering why her feet felt like lead and her legs felt like jelly.

"What's the big surprise for tonight?" Jyou asked Kyoya curiously, looking over at the stage. "After last night, I can't imagine what you've planned for today."

"It's nothing too big," Kyoya replied with a shrug. "The Ootori group supports local musicians and startups, so we've got a fine selection of Japanese performers. It's a much more informal event than last night's gala."

They were interrupted then by a couple of young men dressed in casual clothes and Jyou looked up just in time to recognise one of them. His blond hair was pushed to one side, his white t-shirt exposing a bit of collarbone as he glanced casually around him. Blue met blue, and both men raised their eyebrows.

"Yamato?"

"Jyou?"

"What are you doing here?"

Jyou stood, going over to talk to him while his drummer, Akira, made the necessary arrangements over with Ootori-san. Yamato's eyes instinctively sought a head of golden brown hair, frowning when he did not find her.

"I told Taichi I had a gig," Yamato said slowly. "How come you're here?"

"This is … er, kind of the roadtrip we mentioned."

"You're _staying_ here?" the blond asked, surprised. "How come?"

"Well, yes, we are. Aren't you?"

"Yeah, but that's courtesy of the Ootori group. They're lodging all the musicians they hired."

"Oh, no, this is courtesy as well," Jyou said, waving his hands instantly to deny any ideas that they were actually _paying_ for this little holiday. "I'm a _med student_, Yamato. You think I can afford this?" He chuckled nervously.

"Then how…?" It must've been written on his face, because he took one look at Jyou and his confusion melted into cool understanding. "Right," he said, "should've figured that one out on my own."

"Aniki?"

The blond turned to see Takeru and Hikari, who were apparently heading to a better spot near the stage, where a band had commenced playing. Yamato tensed slightly, but offered him a cool smile, and a wave to Hikari.

"What are you doing here?" Takeru asked, surprised.

"We're hired entertainment."

"Oh, you're playing! When's your turn?" Hikari exclaimed, trying, too obviously, to ease the confusion and tension between them by pretending to be excited about this sudden development. He saw right through her though — she had the glass face of a Yagami, through and through.

"Near the close," he shrugged. "Late confirmation, you know how it is."

Hikari didn't know, but she nodded anyway.

Around them, the place had turned into a real concert, with people around the stage enjoying drinks, dancing to the music and sending the sort of electric vibe that had become second-nature to Yamato.

"Have you guys seen Mi—," Sora stopped, her hand on Jyou's back, ruby eyes fixed on her blond friend and Hikari's strange, plastic smile. "—Yamato," she finished lamely. Then, as if on cue, jumped in for a hug. "You're here! This is so great!"

He patted her awkwardly on the arm, giving an alarmed look to Jyou, who seemed amused, really. When she let go he sighed, relieved, and gently pat her head.

"I've got to head back for tuning," he said. "I'll—," and then he paused, licking his lips before turning and saying, in a rather small, dry voice, "don't tell her I'm here."

They watched him go with a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs, and Takeru scoffed, loudly. "This is so stupid."

They didn't say it out loud, but they all agreed that it was.

During all this time Mimi was blissfully unaware that this was happening around her. Tamaki had requested her presence for a leisurely stroll along the artificial (she would've never guessed) beach, strolling Mimi along as he spewed out compliments, and sweet nothings that had, after a while, lost some of their effect.

"Mimi?" she looked up, shocked despite herself, to find that the blue of his eyes wasn't quite the one she expected. "Are you okay?"

She smiled, though it was considerably sadder. "I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed, I think. This is all very beautiful," she gestured towards the lake, the starry sky and finally, to him. "Thank you, for doing this for me."

"A beautiful girl deserves this and more," he said simply, as if it was no big deal, but there was a blush of satisfaction on his cheeks that she found humbling and rather becoming of him.

"Do you always speak like that?" she laughed. "You're making me nervous!"

Boldly, he took her hand. "It's a good look for you."

"Oh, _stop_," Mimi said, turning her face away from him. The water sparkled and she breathed in, unsure if this was as good an idea as she had thought at first. "Can we get back? I'd like to hear at least the end of the concert, Kyoya-kun did say he planned it especially to my liking."

"Kyoya-kun is very thoughtful," Tamaki said, flashing her a pearly white smile as he led her back to the commotion.

The place was far more packed now as guests dropped by to enjoy the live music, dance and drink and turn it into a proper music festival at the other side of the lake. Mimi saw her friends from a distance, dancing and laughing, with Takeru jumping up and down whilst Hikari giggled, delightedly, her camera firm on hand. She accepted a fresh drink from Kyoya-kun, who leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"I hope you like surprises."

The music started again, and her ears perked up. It was a familiar melody, the sort that made you think you knew it and, when his low baritone touched the microphone and she was enveloped in his velvety voice, she knew where to look. Mimi stood on the raised platform where they had reserved seats, her hands gripping the rail as she leaned out, lips slightly parted.

He looked fantastic on the stage, coming out in a simple white t-shirt with a plaid red, white and black shirt hanging low around his waist, blond hair falling casually in eyes so blue, she could drown in them. She watched him for a moment, uncaring that she was staring because — she hadn't _seen_ him in so long, not without their friends around them, not without her yelling at him or him looking away. This was _Yamato_, in all his splendour, and Mimi's chest ached to reach out and touch him.

A hand touched the small of her back and she had to tear her eyes away from him to look at Tamaki.

"Kyoya found that one of your friends had a band and moved a few strings to have them over. They're actually pretty good."

"Yes," Mimi agreed quietly. "They're very talented."

"Did you like it?" he asked in a low voice, his smile playful. Mimi opened her mouth but he must've mistaken her action because his face bent closer to hers and before she knew it, was kissing her full on the lips.

The kiss lasted six seconds, maybe, but it was enough for Yamato to be unfortunate enough to see it. In that split second he missed a beat, recovering half a second later with a bitter smile, eyes fixed on the kissing couple mere meters away from him, so close that he needed only jump from the stage and run to her, so far that he did not know if he could swim the distance.

Mimi, cheeks still burning, knees still weak, looked over at the stage. Yamato was still singing, hands busy on his bass as he bent low into the microphone, swaying. He did not look at her and she let out a breath she had not known she was holding.

_He didn't see her._

But when a girl, apparently a big fan of the Wolves, broke into the stage and pulled him down for a kiss, he did nothing to stop her. So Mimi watched, scandalised, as he pulled back with a smile while the security guards helped her down from the stage, the crowd going crazy at the romantic, edgy gesture.

The party ended well past midnight, when the last guests went off to bed. Mimi had refused to mention the incident or acknowledge Yamato's presence, disappearing from their sight with Tamaki the moment that he approached them to say hi. Between their group of friends things were tense, too.

They had tried and succeeded, mildly, to stay away from their conflict, but the things that had happened that evening were diving the group in two very different opinions. Sora was understandably angry that Yamato would pull a stunt like that, and Jyou had told her, quite simply, that Mimi's constant parade of dates was very akin to what Yamato had done, if less graphic.

Hikari thought it was all very silly, that whatever Yamato did was his business, likewise for Mimi. Takeru thought his brother was a bit of an idiot, but he was annoyed enough at the whole thing that he did not side with him, not even out of solidarity.

Koushiro, despite his intentions to remain neutral, worried that Mimi would be upset if she found out. Taichi thought it was all for the best, and it was good that Yamato felt comfortable enough to start dating again. Daisuke actually _applauded_ his nerve, and young Iori thought it was best not to comment, though he personally found it improper of a gentleman to rub such a thing in his ex-sweetheart's face.

Miyako, like Koushiro, simply wondered if Mimi had seen. Deep inside though, she wondered if this meant that Yamato had given up truly on her friend, a thought that broke her heart the minute it came into her mind.

In ones and twos they returned to their bedrooms, aware that they had an early day to take the bus back home. Mimi did not return then and after a while, they gave up on waiting for her. Only Yamato remained by the pool, drinking a cold beer and wondering how things had gotten so out of hand. It had only been a stupid argument, but day after day, she only slipped further away from him.

She came alone, shoes in hand and stopped, suddenly, when she saw him. Her eyes clouded over, dark like amber and her lips twitched but she only drew herself higher, taller, and walked right past.

"I thought it would work out with Ootori," he called out, making her stop. Mimi tossed her hair over her shoulder, then shrugged.

"Not that it's any of your business," she said, "but we're just good friends."

"I heard," he replied, noncommittally, "you've moved on."

"Never been one to stand still for long," she retorted, stung.

"No," he said, "you never have been."

"Yes, well," she said after a moment, swinging her shoes in her hands, half swaying. "I'm going to bed. Good show tonight."

"Mimi," he called, and again she stopped, though her back was turned to him. "Are you going to keep this up?"

"Are you going to change your mind?"

"You're making a big deal out of it."

"Answer the question, Yamato."

"And you're being impossible to deal with," he declared, setting the bottle down with a loud clang.

"Well," she said, lips curled downwards in a frown, "then it's probably a good thing you don't have to _deal_ with me anymore."

She left and with her, all hopes of a peaceful resolution. Tachikawa Mimi did not care for negotiations.

She wanted war.


End file.
